About Kumaun & Garwhal - Uttaranchal:

Jump to: navigation, search Uttarakhand %u0909%u0924%u094D%u0924%u0930%u093E%u0916%u0902%u0921 %u2014 State %u2014 Uttarakhand Rajya Location of Uttarakhand in India Map of Uttarakhand Coordinates (Dehradun): 30.33°N 78.06°ECoordinates: 30.33°N 78.06°E Country India Established 9 November 2000 Capital Dehradun%u2020 Largest city Dehradun Districts 13 Government %u2022 Governor Aziz Qureshi %u2022 Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna (INC) %u2022 Legislature Unicameral (70 seats) %u2022 Parliamentary constituency 5 %u2022 High Court Uttarakhand High Court Area %u2022 Total 53,566 km2 (20,682 sq mi) Area rank 18th Population (2011) %u2022 Total 10,116,752 %u2022 Rank 19th %u2022 Density 189/km2 (490/sq mi) Time zone IST (UTC 05:30) ISO 3166 code IN-UT HDI 0.515[1] HDI rank 7th (2011) Literacy 79.63% Sex ratio 963 Languages spoken Garhwali, Kumaoni, Hindi, Urdu Official languages Hindi, Sanskrit Website uk.gov.in ^%u2020 Dehradun is the provisional capital of the state. The new capital has not yet been chosen. Uttarakhand/%u02CC%u0289t%u0259r%u0251%u02D0 kh%u0259nd/, formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Land of the Gods" due to the many holy Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state. Known for its natural beauty of the Himalayas, the Bhabhar and the Terai, the state was carved out of the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India.[2] It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north; the Mahakali Zone of the Far-Western Region, Nepal on the east; and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the northwest. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The provisional capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, which is also a railhead and the largest city in the region. The high court of the state is in Nainital. The natives of the state are generally called either Garhwali or Kumaoni depending on their place of origin. According to the 2011 census of India Uttarakhand has a population of 10,116,752, making it the 19th most populous state in India. A large portion of the population is Rajput and Brahmin. More than 88% of the population is Hindu. Muslims are the largest minority in the state with Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains being the other major religions. Garhwali and Kumaoni are the two main regional languages with Hindi being the most widely spoken language. Two of the most important rivers in Hinduism originate in the region, the Ganga at Gangotri and the Yamuna at Yamunotri. These two along with Badrinath and Kedarnath form the Chota Char Dham, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. The state also hosts the Bengal tiger in Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest on the Indian subcontinent. There is also the Valley of Flowers, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for the variety and rarity of the flowers and plants found there.